How Science Can Help Avoid Summer Learning Loss

July 08, 2013

Citizen Scientists are taking over the world- A perfect opportunity for homeschoolers!

Citizen Scientist projects are research based investigations that involve regular people in actual research experiments. By engaging the general public, professional scientists are able to amass a huge amount of data. The observers and data collectors get to learn more about the scientific process and whatever the scientists are studying. This is a great project for online teachers, because it can unite students everywhere in one relevant project.

Never before in the history of time have people from all over the world been so easily able to learn about and participate in true science.

This list is a sampling of projects that are good for kids, involve the natural world, and would work well with distance learners. First are the year round projects, and then the seasonal ones.

Ongoing

The Baby Laughter Project, from the University of London’s Birkbeck Babylab will study how babies learn about the world by studying early laughter in detail. If you are a parent with a child under two, you can take the survey. It takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. They are also interested in particular incidents that made your baby laugh. Who was present? What was so funny? If you have a particular instance of baby laughter, they welcome your “field reports.” More information is available here.

What kid doesn’t love a rock? The Rock Around the World Project is an attempt to understand the geological composition of the world by collecting rock samples from everywhere. When you send them a rock, they will tell you exactly what is in it, and enter the data on the world rock map. (http://ratw.asu.edu/)

The Great Sun Flower Project seeks to understand the pollinators that visit plants, especially sunflowers. You get to plant flowers, count how many bees stop by, and report it to the national database. You can read more here.

National Moth Week will get you outside at night. Citizen Scientists will get to contribute scientific data about moths. National Moth Week participants can help map moth distribution and provide needed information to the scientific community. There will be an event in New Salem on July 21. E-mail Sue Cloutier at cloutier@tiac.net for more information. Or visit this site.

Fireflywatch is sponsored by the Boston Museum of Science, Tufts University and the State College at Fitchburg. You can register today and be in the field, tonight! The researchers are seeking to track the fate of these amazing insects. With your help, they hope to learn about the geographic distribution of fireflies and their activity during the summer season. Fireflies also may be affected by human-made light and pesticides in lawns, so they hope to learn more about these effects. Read more at https://legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch/about_firefly_watch.

Fall

With The Great World Wide Star Count, you can explore the stars! During the month of October, join Citizen Scientists worldwide as they try to observe constellations after sunset. The study gauges the impact of light pollution on your ability to see the stars and constellations at night. Depending upon your location, you are assigned a specific constellation and a time to observe it. You check it out, note the brightness of the stars, and report it online. You can read more here.

Winter

Do you want to see how global warming is actually affecting your life? Join Rink Watch. Geographers at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario created Rink Watch to share information about their local rinks and frozen ponds. Pin the location of your rink on the researchers’ map, and then each winter record every day that you are able to skate on it. The researchers will gather up all the information from all the backyard rinks and use it to track the changes in climate. Register at www.rinkwatch.org.

The 17th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count is sponsored by the Audobon Society. It takes place from Friday, February 14, through Monday, February 17, 2014. During the study, participants are asked to observe for at least 15 minutes, though they are welcome to observe for as long as they want. Learn more here.

If you want to look up your own Citizen Scientist projects, check out these sites: Citizen Science League, Citizen Science Alliance, and the websites of Scientific American, NASA, the National Wildlife Foundation, the Audubon Society, and the Cornell Ornithological Lab.

I am a teacher, hiker, mother, dancer and home-maker. I have taught pre-school through SAT prep. I am exploring ways to create on-line learning communities for home-schooled middle school and high school students. In particular, I am starting a low-residency on-line middle school. I would like to help young people explore important ideas while enjoying their lives! You can learn more about my programs at www.onlineclassesforgroovykids.org.